Were You Offered Money to Switch to the Larian Law Firm? Learn the Truth about Unethical Practices

When considering the violations of legal ethics, we must look into the California Rules of Professional Conduct, which explicitly prohibit lawyers from offering financial incentives to clients. Consider the following:

• Rule 7.2(b) Prohibition on Compensation for Recommendations: states that lawyers cannot either give or promise anything of value to a person as an incentive to recommend their services or to retain them, with the exception of certain permissible referral fees or costs related to advertising.
• Rule 1.8.5 Financial Assistance to Clients: states that lawyers are prohibited from providing any financial assistance to clients related to pending or anticipated litigation/cases. Exceptions include advances on court costs, which must be repaid.

Offering money to a claimant to switch firms would be a violation of these rules.

To put it briefly, offering money to clients to switch lawyers and/or firms may violate laws related to unlawful solicitation. In addition, engaging in coercive practices to convince clients to switch representation could violate consumer protection laws.

Fiduciary duties refers to the legal obligations that require an individual (like a lawyer) to act in the best interests of another person/entity (a client). Lawyers have fiduciary duties towards their clients, meaning that they must act in the client’s best interests without undue influence (excessive pressure or manipulation).

Offering money to a client in exchange for bringing over their case from another law firm can create a conflict of interest, be seen as the lawyer prioritizing financial gain, and could undermine client trust in the lawyer.

There are many reasons that may motivate a lawyer to offer money to clients to switch. Ultimately, a lawyer may offer money to switch because they know the case will have a high payout and they will be able to recover the money that they offered and more after a settlement, the case is a high-profile case that will get them attention and potentially more cases, or they simply are looking for any way to take cases from another firm that they are competing with.

Without a doubt, exercising unethical practices could significantly damage a lawyer’s reputation – as well as the reputation of the firm that the lawyer partners with. However, these unethical practices come with a greater risk than just a damaged reputation. More specifically, lawyers can face disciplinary action by the State Bar, which can include suspension and even disbarment based on what investigations conclude. In addition, lawyers may face lawsuits due to interfering in contracts or damages to the original firm due to the unethical practices.

Even with the risk of damage to reputations, lawsuits, suspension, and disbarment, far too many lawyers continue to resort to unethical practices and behaviors to get clients. As a client, it is important that you understand that these same unethical practices that resulted in you changing lawyers can also negatively impact the outcome of your case.

Do not let your case suffer because of Alex Larian’s poor ethics.

As a client, it is your right to switch lawyers or transfer your case from one firm to another at any time. However, this decision must be made voluntarily, free from any coercion or any type of financial incentive; in other words, a lawyer cannot offer you money to switch. If Alex Larian offered you money to switch your lawsuit over to their firm, then you were essentially coerced to switch. To remain ethical, lawyers must not use any tactics that include coercion or bribery. Rather, when contacted for a second opinion on an active case, lawyers should evaluate cases thoroughly and provide claimants with all the information necessary for claimants to make their own decision about switching representation.

If your lawyer resorted to unethical practices to sign you on as a client, you are likely concerned about whether these unethical practices will affect your case. A lawyer that turns to unethical practices to get clients can ultimately continue these unethical practices; they may pressure clients to settle, refuse to pay medical liens, and more. Whether you are worried about ethics or you are unsure of whether your claim is really in the best hands, it is important that you understand that you could switch representation to ensure that your claim truly has the best chance of success.

Downtown L.A. Law Group Experts Ready to Help You: our team is committed to fighting to protect the rights of our clients while always upholding ethics. Do not allow the poor practices of so-called professionals to affect the outcome of your lawsuit. Do not allow unethical lawyers to take advantage of your situation.

Whether you are ready to switch lawyers or you are interested in learning more about holding an unethical lawyer accountable for their actions, contact us today. We offer free case reviews, which include free initial consultations and free second opinions. These are available as part of our Zero-Fee Guarantee, meaning that you will never be required to pay upfront legal costs; since we work on a strict contingency structure, you will not be required to pay anything at all if your claim is ultimately unsuccessful.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.